Everybody's Fool
by The Insane Mind Reader
Summary: How difficult is it to be the best? To be looked at as perfection? To be a lie to yourself, and those around you?


Author's Note: The series "Naruto" does not belong to me. The song "Everybody's Fool" belongs to Evanescence.

**Everybody's Fool**

* * *

_Perfect by nature  
Icons of self indulgence  
_

Sakura walked gracefully down a mildly busy street. Quite a few people watched her in awe from the corner of their eye. The rest fully turned their heads and stopped what they were doing to openly stare at her.

On the outside, she had a face of calm serenity. However, on the inside, she was silently seething. Don't people have better things to do than stare at a high ranking kunoichi? A perfect, beautiful, powerful……

_Just what we all need_

_More lies about a world that_

_Never was and never will be  
Have you no shame don't you see me  
You know you've got everybody fooled_

She quickened her pace to escape the stares of the Konoha citizens. A tightening, gripping pressure formed in her chest and throat. Why was it that almost everyone only saw her occupational status and not **her**?

_Look here she comes now  
Bow down and stare in wonder  
Oh how we love you  
No flaws when you're pretending  
But now I know she_

She entered the ANBU headquarters building and proceeded to make her way up to her floor, full of her own personal soldiers that are under her own command.

A group of lower ranking kunoichis stopped in their laughter and gossips to smarten up and bow when Sakura walked by. She nodded at them with only a glance. She could feel them gaze at her retreating back in awe.

She heard one of them distinctly say how lucky she was to be working under the great Haruno Sakura.

_Never was and never will be  
You don't know how you've betrayed me  
And somehow you've got everybody fooled_

She snorted lightly as she turned into the corner into her office. The 'great' Haruno Sakura was she now? She softly closed the door behind her and locked the door. She walked to her desk to pick up a circular, porcelain object.

_Without the mask where will you hide  
Can't find yourself, lost in your lie _

She gently fingered the beautifully painted mask. Black cherry blossoms adorned the lower left side of the mask.

Two years ago, she would have been ecstatic to be one of the highest ranking officers of the ANBU squad. Now though….

She was honestly strong and honestly smart, a result of her honest hard work. Her one bravo is her attitude and personality outside the battlefield. People **always** expect her to be just as brilliant with everything else. Well….people expected that person, and she sub-consciously became that person.

_I know the truth now  
I know who you are  
And I don't love you anymore_

She became aware of that person when she went to visit Iruka at the Konoha Academy a few months ago. All of the children that were once like her, rushed up greet her. Asking for her autograph and asking to tell them how she became the strongest kunoichi of the five great Shinobi countries.

It never was and never will be  
You don't know how you've betrayed me  
And somehow you've got everybody fooled

That was like a blast of cold water to the face. **Her**? When did **this** happen? A role model? An icon…of a perfect soldier…? No! She wanted to be just Sakura! Haruno Sakura! **Just Sakura!**

It never was and never will be  
You're not real and you can't save me  
Somehow now you're everybody's fool

The dam that had built up in her heart broke, letting out waves of anguished sobs of the broken and misunderstood woman. She sank down onto her knees and clutching her ANBU mask she let out her heart-breaking sobs until they weren't heart-breaking…..

The sound became less desolate as time wore on…it no longer tore at the heart….rather, it was bruising and aching, yearning for who she was before…

* * *

Okay well, it's been a while since I've put up a new story, but...ta-da! It's my first shot at a Angst-kinda thing...Tell me how I did if you ever get the chance to review it, and I hope they're constructive comments too!!


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